'AITA for not allowing the return of a car I sold now that it has broken down?'
"AITA for not allowing the return of a car I sold now that it has broken down?"
I sold a vehicle to one of my partner's coworkers. We were very clear that a lot of work has been done on the car and that although at this time we knew of nothing wrong with the vehicle we were selling it because we didn’t want to deal with it any more.
This was repeated to them several times, “we don’t know of anything wrong, but we do not trust it.” After a test drive the coworker was confident they wanted it. So we wrote up a bill of Sale stating the terms of the sale; $3000 total paid in installments of $200 per month.
And a statement that “this sale is final and the vehicle is sold as is, with no warranties or guarantees expressed or implied” seller and buyer singed the bill of sale and to make the registration and insurance process easier for her I signed over the title.
That was 6 weeks ago. The vehicle is now broken down, “internal catastrophic failure and needs a new engine. The crank shaft and bearings have gone out.” She is now asking that we take the car back and donate it/junk it. They will just sign it back over and we can do what we want with it. It is currently about 2 hours from where we live.
I do not feel it is my responsibility to fix this problem for her, but I do feel really bad it broke down. She is now accusing my partner of taking advantage of her and saying that we never told her anything could be wrong with it. This car has been a pain in my side since I purchased it for around $10,000 in 2020. It has had several mechanical issues that we have fixed.
All in all probably putting about another $5000 into the vehicle, a lot of that very recently. A list of the things that have been replaced on it includes the battery, Alternator, Drive belt, Spark plugs, Ignition coils, Brake pads/rotors, Cam was refurbished, Valve cover gaskets, Oil/ oil filter, PCV valve, and Oil pressure sensor.
Also there was fix done by our original dealership after jiffy lube failed to put oil back in the car after an oil change. Again we were absolutely transparent about all of this and that we hoped nothing would go wrong but couldn’t promise anything.
So, AITA for refusing to allow her to return the now broken car I sold in working condition that is hours away from my home? Any idea for compromises? I can’t afford to give away thousands of dollars, but I’ve been in hard situations with cars before and know what it feels like. We are in the US.
Here's what people had to say to OP:
olda--hit wrote:
NTA, but you messed up letting them make payments. This was always going to be the outcome when they haven't paid you in full. Whether you take the car back or not, you're not seeing another dime.
username1736294 wrote:
This is also why you take it to a corporate buyer (carmax, GMTV) when you have an unreliable junker. Even if the buyer did pay up front in full, they’re still gonna be livid about it, which may create issues for you, legal or otherwise.
Editing for OP: seeing the jiffy lube not putting oil in it situation, if you have that documented that’s a clear legal case against JL. You drive the car without oil in it, then the crankshaft and bearings tear themselves apart…that’s an easy lawsuit win right there that they are at fault for tearing up your engine.
OP responded:
We didn’t even have to sue them, that happened years ago and after having it fixed by the dealership we submitted the bill to Jiffy Lube and they reimbursed the cost ($3600).
notrainsaroundhere wrote:
"$3000 total paid in installments of $200 per month"
Incredibly generous of you. I'd have expected payment in full on the day. If you're being honest that there genuinely wasn't anything wrong with it as far as you knew at the time (no weird noises you turned the music up to not hear etc) then NTA.
I don't know how small claims or whatever works in the US but it sounds like you're owed the best part of $3k by someone who doesn't want to pay it. How much does your partner like this coworker? This could make it awkward for them.
Icy-minimum2397 wrote:
You sold a car that you decided is becoming a money pit and you have had to fix or replace several things on it. When selling it you felt it necessary to state multiple times that you don't trust the longevity of the car and they are assuming responsibility for any issues that arise.
While doing this you felt it was a good idea to accept monthly payments for over a year. On a car you apparently fully expect to have upcoming issues. Why on earth would you sell it on payments? This scenario almost guaranteed you were never going to be paid in full for the car.
OP responded:
His working relationship was my biggest concern but he is on the same page as me.
espressothenwine wrote:
NTA. You did not lie about the condition of the vehicle and they bought it with no warrantee. You have absolutely no obligation AND they still owe you the money. She can junk it and use that for at least one of the payments.
This is not your problem, but also this is why I would never sell a car to anyone I know, even a friend of a friend, because then the whole relationship comes into question and complicates things.
In this situation, your parent is going to have to deal with this person talking shit about their kid at work and telling everyone that you ripped them off, which sucks. Your parent can choose to soothe this situation by giving some money back, but that is up to them if they want to tamp this down since it is related to their job.
I do not think you should offer a compromise because that would be admitting fault in a way - if it wasn't your fault, why would you take less money? You would win this in a small claims court case because you did not offer any warrantee or guarantee and it was an "as is" sale. They should have had a mechanic look at it. That was on them, not you.